Bilbao vs Santa Cruz de Tenerife

Bilbao leads Santa Cruz de Tenerife by 2 points on the CIRA Index, 64 to 62. Bilbao grades better on 11 measures, Santa Cruz de Tenerife on 9; the same 35 measures from public sources for both.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

• CIRA Index: Bilbao 64, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 62
• OECD: Bilbao 63, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 62
• UN Tourism: Bilbao 63, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 58
• UNDRR: Bilbao 57, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 55

Theme by theme

• Demand and seasonality: Bilbao 71, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 58
• Economy and jobs: Bilbao 75, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 75
• Climate and hazards: Bilbao 65, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 65
• Water and environment: Bilbao 63, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 50
• Community and housing: Bilbao 69, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 60
• Access and continuity: Bilbao 55, Santa Cruz de Tenerife 64

Where Bilbao is stronger

• Domestic share of nights: 47.3 % of nights by residents of the same country (Ayuntamiento de Bilbao / Bilbao Ekintza, 'Bilbao destino urbano internacional de referencia con turismo sostenible y equilibrado', Jan–Nov 2025). At or above 45: grade 4/4.
• Largest foreign market: 16.9 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). Between 15 and 20: grade 3/4.
• Recovery against 2019: 143.2 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (Bilbao Ekintza / Ayuntamiento de Bilbao and Europa Press, 2025). At or above 110: grade 4/4.
• Tropical nights: 6.6 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 10: grade 4/4.
• Flood hazard: medium (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 2/4.
• Water scarcity: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Municipal waste per resident: 464.3 kg per resident per year (country figure) (Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE), Statistics on the Collection and Treatment of Waste, 2023). Between 450 and 550: grade 2/4.
• Cruise pressure: 0.1 cruise passengers in the busiest month per resident (Puertos del Estado, monthly port traffic summaries ("Cuadros resumen", cruise passengers incl. home port and transit), 2025-09). Between 0.1 and 0.3: grade 2/4.
• Short-let density: 0.8 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (INE via Crónica Vasca / Dataestur, May 2026). Between 0.5 and 1: grade 3/4.
• Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (ABAO-OLBE & Port of Bilbao (Bilbaoport), 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4.
• Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Gobierno Vasco - Euskadi.eus, 2021–2026). Grade 3/4.

Where Santa Cruz de Tenerife is stronger

• Average length of stay: 2.5 nights per visitor (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) - Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera via EpData, August 2024). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4.
• Hotel bed or room occupancy: 67 % average annual occupancy (INE via Dataestur (Secretaría de Estado de Turismo), 'Ocupación hotelera de 2024: mejor primer trimestre', Q1 2024). Between 65 and 75: grade 3/4.
• Extreme heat days: 2.6 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Wildfire and storm hazard: very low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 4/4.
• Wastewater safely treated: 86 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (region figure) (Cabildo de Tenerife, Plenary Statement by President Rosa Dávila, 2026). Between 85 and 95: grade 3/4.
• Tourism intensity: 2.9 visitor nights per resident per year (INE (Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera por Puntos Turísticos & Cifras Oficiales de Población / Padrón Municipal), 2023). At or below 5: grade 4/4.
• Rent growth: -1.1 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Fotocasa (reported by elEconomista), February 2025 – February 2026). At or below 3: grade 4/4.
• Largest airline group share: 18.1 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). At or below 20: grade 4/4.
• Tourism crisis and recovery plan: Crisis communication only, ad hoc (Sociedad de Desarrollo de Santa Cruz de Tenerife / Turismo de Tenerife, 2024). Grade 1/4.

Country context (World Economic Forum)

• Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026
• Spain: #3 of 110 in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026

Bilbao in full · Santa Cruz de Tenerife in full

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